6 replies to this topic

[Rob Birch]

hi there
the handbrake on my mini only works on one side,how do i adjust it?
rear brakes work great with new minifin and shoes,there is also new handbrake cable
when i apply handbrake passenger side wheel locks on solid but drivers side spins freely.
can't find anything in haynes manual about adjusting it, car is a f reg
any advice would be appretiated
thanks
rob

[lrostoke]

first check that the quadrants are moving freely..the bit the cable goes through attached to the radius arm .

then make sure the shoes are fully adjusted properly

on the brake backplate at the top is a square peg which adjusts the shoes out. Turn this clockwise until you can't spin the wheel, then back it off a quarter turn, wheel should spin now.

[Rob Birch]

thanks i'll give it a try

[DTXDave]

I had the very same problem myself. One wheel would lock before the other wheel when I engaged the handbrake.

I wrote down what I did to reseolve the problem here at the bottom of the page under "Handbrake cable".

DTXDave

hi there
the handbrake on my mini only works on one side,how do i adjust it?
rear brakes work great with new minifin and shoes,there is also new handbrake cable
when i apply handbrake passenger side wheel locks on solid but drivers side spins freely.
can't find anything in haynes manual about adjusting it, car is a f reg
any advice would be appretiated
thanks
rob

[benno1275]

clamp the good side with some mole grips so it wont work then spray some wd40 on the cable and work the handbrake up and down for a couple of minutes so you are working the bad side it could be that the cable is sticking

[Cooperman]

The brake shoes can be put in the wrong way around. Check the workshop manual for correct installation. It's surprising how many are correct on one side, but wrong on the other. You then get uneven braking on the rear.
Also, if the clevis pin on the handbrake linkage one side is worn this can cause a problem. I always drill/ream mine out and fit bigger clevis pins when they cause a problem.

[andyapanel]

Get under the rear subby and pull on the cable to the side that isnt working. If there is no movement at the brakes, I would bet it is the quadrant. (in fact I would bet it is the quadrant anyway!) Strip it down and clean the hole thing properly.